50 percent of Vietnamese children lack vitamins
(VOV) - More than 50 percent of Vietnamese children lack vitamins A, B1, C, D and iron in their daily diets.
The information was released by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) last weekend in a general nutrition survey of the South East Asian region conducted by NIN, the Vietnam Nutrition Association and Friesland Campina Institute.
According to Dr Le Nguyen Bao Khanh from NIN, the survey shows that the percentage of children lacking various types of vitamins in Vietnam is higher than those in Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.
There are more children lacking vitamins in urban areas than those in rural areas, of whom girls account for over 58 percent.
Dr. Khanh said it is necessary to raise parent awareness about the importance of vitamin D needed by young children for their future growth in height.
Daily diet and sunlight are two important sources of vitamin D, Khanh added.